Labeling suggestions for language change as “PC” (“political correctness”) has been regarded by several prominent scholars as an effective tactic to oppose anti-discriminatory language campaigns. Expanding on that, I argue that by historicizing the label “PC” a public debate is revealed, whose results may not only harm so-called “PC” campaigns but also promote them. By combining tools from the fields of conceptual history (Begriffsgeschichte) and critical discourse analysis (CDA), the article offers a five-stage model for analyzing language change in the PC discourse, in which the label “PC” characterizes a typical stage in the conceptual development of controversial expressions. The article demonstrates the model with the expression “Autist” in Israeli public discourse and uncovers a broader meaning of the label “PC”—namely, a pending request for a change that has yet to be accepted or rejected.
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